Molting

[K0k0shka]

...watching this. Didn't know it was advised to pick up molted feathers.

Don't assume... Nobody is advising this. Some people might pick them up for esthetics or because they don't know that it's totally fine if they don't. Molting is a natural process in the chickens' lives. Feathers on the ground are normal and natural. Chickens might be eating them out of curiosity, boredom, or a lack of protein. I'm honestly surprised that feather fixer is only 18% protein (if that's even true). 18% is not high at all, in fact it's below the optimal 20% which is what's recommended for laying hens, growing chicks, and overall health. I thought feather fixer would be higher. I feed Purina Flock Raiser year round and have no feather eating problems - it's 20% protein and good for all ages (just make sure to provide calcium on the side for the layers, as there's no extra calcium in this feed).

 

[K0k0shka]

No need to pick them up, they'll break down in the run (and yes a few will get eaten).

I'm impressed by how quickly they break down and disappear (if you have a good bedding of run litter that promotes composting, at least). When I process chickens, I usually use the bucket with the scald water to discard feathers as I pluck, and then guts and other unwanted materials as I gut the chicken. Then I dump the whole bucket in the run. The chickens have a field day picking through the scraps, and since the feathers are wet and "aromatic" from being in the bucket, the chickens end up eating some feathers, too. The rest dry up eventually and disappear into the deep bedding as the chickens scratch around. Last year I processed 6 cockerels in one day and dumped everything in the run, and it disappeared in record time!

 

[NatJ]

I'm honestly surprised that feather fixer is only 18% protein (if that's even true). 18% is not high at all, in fact it's below the optimal 20% which is what's recommended for laying hens, growing chicks, and overall health. I thought feather fixer would be higher. I feed Purina Flock Raiser year round and have no feather eating problems - it's 20% protein and good for all ages (just make sure to provide calcium on the side for the layers, as there's no extra calcium in this feed).

According to Purina's website, feather fixer has 18% protein, and I see it has as much calcium as a typical layer feed.

I conclude it is a layer feed, with protein slightly above the usual low level (18% rather than something like 16%), and then it's got a catchy name to make it attractive (because "Feather Fixer" sounds so much nicer than "Layer Feed with a slight increase in protein.")

Right now my flock, because of molt and because I have laying pullets is eating feather fixer and laying feed mixed free choice , with free choice oyster shells

I would not bother mixing layer feed and feather fixer in the future. Use up the current bags, but after that just pick one (maybe the feather fixer) and stick with it to make your life easier.

If you want to provide more protein, you could consider other feeds like Flock Raiser or All Flock or even Chick Starter. All of those have lower levels of calcium, so the layers would need a separate source of calcium (like the free choice oyster shell you are already providing.)